Recovered and Remanded: Hope charged with murder of sister-in-law

Stephan Hope, 31, a security guard of Haslington, East Coast Demerara was this week charged with murder, almost a month after he shot and killed his ex-girlfriend’s sister and then shot himself.

For four weeks, Hope remained hospitalised under police guard at the Georgetown Public Hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Now that he has recovered, he was charged with the murder of Ashanti Liverpool and remanded to prison.

Hope appeared at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Fabayo Azore and was not required to enter a plea.

Ashanti Liverpool, 24, was killed by Hope in the wee hours of March 19; she died of a gunshot injury to her chest.

She was the twin sister of Ishanti Liverpool, who shared a relationship with Hope.

According to reports, Hope, a security guard, went to the Hong Kong Chinese Supermarket located at Good Hope, East Coast Demerara, and collected an AR-15 Rifle and eight live rounds of ammunition from a colleague.

He had earlier gone to his girlfriend’s home and saw her sitting inside a car outside her house. She is believed to have been accompanied by a male. As such, Hope left, went to Good Hope and returned about 30 minutes later armed with the AR-15 Rifle, where he entered the house and met Ashanti, who was at home in bed.

He asked about her sister’s whereabouts but Ishanti had left the house a short while before he returned. As a result, Ashanti ran outside, where she made her way out of the yard and started heading east along the access road when Hope opened fire at her with the rifle.

Ashanti continued running and collapsed in a nearby yard. Hope hopped onto his motorcycle and left the scene. The man went to another supermarket, the Hong Xing Supermarket at Industry Railway Embankment, where he collected an AR-15 Rifle with six live matching rounds of ammunition from another colleague. It is believed that Hope apparently shot himself soon after.